Harvey: Welcome to the G P T podcast.com I'm Harvey along with my co-host Brooks and we're here talking about Bill Gates and a recent blog he wrote about GPT, AI, and how revolutionary it is.
Brooks: That's fascinating! What specifically did Bill Gates say about GPT that makes it so revolutionary?
Harvey: Well, in his blog post, he says that in his lifetime, he's only seen two demonstrations of technology that struck him as revolutionary. The first time was in 1980, when he was introduced to a graphical user interface - the forerunner of every modern operating system, including Windows. The second time was just last year, when he witnessed the capabilities of GPT, an AI model developed by OpenAI.
Brooks: That's quite a statement. What was it about GPT that impressed him so much?
Harvey: Bill Gates was impressed by the fact that OpenAI was able to train GPT to pass an Advanced Placement biology exam in just a few months. They asked GPT 60 multiple-choice questions from the exam, and it got 59 of them right. It also wrote outstanding answers to six open-ended questions from the exam. They had an outside expert score the test, and GPT got a 5 - the highest possible score, and the equivalent to getting an A or A+ in a college-level biology course.
Brooks: Wow, that's impressive! It sounds like GPT has a lot of potential.
Harvey: Absolutely. Bill Gates believes that the development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the internet, and the mobile phone. It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. He even thinks that entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it.
Brooks: That's a big statement. Does he have any specific examples of how AI can be used to make a positive impact?
Harvey: Yes, he does. In fact, he believes that AI can help reduce some of the world's worst inequities. Globally, the worst inequity is in health: 5 million children under the age of 5 die every year. Nearly all of these children were born in poor countries and die of preventable causes like diarrhea or malaria. It's hard to imagine a better use of AIs than saving the lives of children.
Brooks: That's a noble cause. What about in the United States?
Harvey: In the United States, the best opportunity for reducing inequity is to improve education, particularly making sure that students succeed at math. The evidence shows that having basic math skills sets students up for success, no matter what career they choose. But achievement in math is going down across the country, especially for Black, Latino, and low-income students. AI can help turn that trend around.
Brooks: I see. What about climate change? Can AI make a difference there?
Harvey: Yes, he believes that AI can make the world more equitable in regards to climate change. The injustice of climate change is that the people who are suffering the most - the world's poorest - are also the ones who did the least to contribute to the problem. He's still thinking and learning about how AI can help, but he suggests a few areas with a lot of potential.
Brooks: It sounds like AI can be used to do a lot of good. But are there any concerns or risks associated with it?
Harvey: Yes, there are. Bill Gates acknowledges that any new technology that's so disruptive is bound to make people uneasy. AI raises hard questions about the workforce, the legal system, privacy
Harvey: One of the most exciting things about AI is its potential to enhance productivity. In many jobs, such as sales and service, decision-making is required but not the ability to learn continuously. AI can be trained using data sets from corporations' training programs and examples of good and bad work, to empower people to do their work more efficiently.
Brooks: That's a great point. But how will AI be incorporated into products like Office? And how will it enhance our work, exactly?
Harvey: As computing power gets cheaper, AI's ability to express ideas will increasingly be like having a white-collar worker available to help you with various tasks. Microsoft describes this as having a co-pilot. AI will help with tasks such as writing emails and managing your inbox. Eventually, you'll be able to write a request in plain English, and AI will understand languages from around the world.
Brooks: Wow, that's really exciting. But what about personal agents? Won't there be privacy concerns if they have access to so much information about us?
Harvey: Absolutely. Although advances in AI will enable the creation of a personal agent that will see your latest emails, know about the meetings you attend, read what you read, and read the things you don't want to bother with, there are some issues that need to be worked out. For example, can an insurance company ask your agent things about you without your permission? And will people choose not to use personal agents for this reason?
Brooks: Those are definitely some serious concerns. What about company-wide agents? How will they empower employees?
Harvey: Company-wide agents will be available for employees to consult directly and should be part of every meeting so they can answer questions. They can be told to be passive or encouraged to speak up if they have some insight. They will need access to the sales, support, finance, product schedules, and text related to the company. I believe that the result will be that employees will become more productive.
Brooks: I can definitely see that happening. But what about the societal impact of all these advances in AI?
Harvey: When productivity goes up, society benefits because people are freed up to do other things, at work and at home. However, there are serious questions about what kind of support and retraining people will need. Governments need to help workers transition into other roles. But the demand for people who help other people will never go away. The rise of AI will free people up to do things that software never will—teaching, caring for patients, and supporting the elderly, for example.
Brooks: That's a really great point. But what about other areas where there's a great need and not enough workers to meet those needs, like global health and education?
Harvey: AI can help reduce inequity if it is properly targeted. There will be an explosion of companies working on new uses of AI as well as ways to improve the technology itself. On the software side, the algorithms that drive an AI's learning will get better. However, we need to ensure that AIs are trained on diverse data sets so they are unbiased and reflect the different cultures where they'll be used. And the digital divide will need to be addressed so that students in low-income households do not get left behind.
Brooks: Those are definitely some important considerations. But what about the risks and problems with AI?
Harvey: There are certainly some issues with AI, such as AIs giving wrong answers to math problems because they struggle with abstract reasoning.
Harvey: Thanks for joining me today, Brooks. It was great to discuss the potential of AI with you.
Brooks: Thank you, Harvey. I learned a lot about the current state and future possibilities of AI. It's clear that AI has the potential to make a positive impact on society.
Harvey: Absolutely, but we must also be aware of the potential risks and work towards responsible development and use of AI.
Brooks: That's a great point, Harvey. It's important to consider the ethical implications and ensure that AI benefits everyone, not just a privileged few.
Harvey: Exactly, and as AI continues to advance, it's crucial that we remain vigilant and responsible. Thanks again for the discussion, Brooks.
Brooks: Thank you, Harvey. Looking forward to future discussions on AI.